Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-25
frhe Right of Translation is Reserved
CHAPTER xEgx.-TRE wANDKRER.

Crossing the open space, which he
knew to be Geld, he vaulted over low
boundary wall, followed closely by his
dog, now barking wildly and joyously
with full sense Of freedom, and found
himself in rosdway which led of right
and left-Re knew not to where, ne1
cared, 80 that In either direction be gel
svey from his present perileus locality
Ctancing 1t, he hurried on s little TO
the left, and then with caution beyond
his years, paused and listened intently to
learn whether his escape had been dis
covered or ii he was followed. Eot 8
sound-not 3 football broke the silence
that reigned around him. He locked
sharply about also, but no one was to be
seen; so Dick trod ONO ran rather, until
he became breathless.
The whole of the pastfew hours seemed
q kind of nightmare 10 Dick-a night
mare with only one sympathetic figure in
it. that OF the kindly sergeant, who he
hoped might not get into scrape through
his disappearance, as Dicks ideas of
military law were very cloudy; but he
felt high exultation at the idea of bsf1lng
Mr.. Pugwssh, and also of eluding forever
Constsble's room he never doubted had
direct reference to getting Bingo into his
hands, for sale or some other nefsrious
purpose.
Such story Of his adventures he would
have to tell MelaDie and Reggie.
But when should he see either agsin2
Tears started 10 his eyes st this refec-
ton; he would not return to his upcle's
norbS 70 An n m Gov
his ARE st, il sged by the tyrannical Pug
pleasant suspicion, that by his Sight,
after taking the enigmatical shilling Of
which he had heard SO much, he was
somewhat Of q deserter.
Anyway, he would return that coin, or
the value thereof, to Sergeant Hawksley,
IL he could; and then, he thought, the
compact would be ended.
Past houses and homes, the windows
of which were closed and dark, and the
inmates OF which were sunk in sleep,
Dick walked on-he knew not whittier.
He felt cold-miserably so-and all the
more when the hours approached morn
ing. He knew not how many miles he
had traversed, and supposed they must
be many; yet he had not placed very
great distance between himself and Wood
stock after all, as it eventually proved,
for after passing mile or so beyond
CbarlburY, q little market town, he got
into network Of lonely lanes that led
him partially back in the direction he had
come from. High in the sky rode the
queen of night, "wading," as Scott de
scribes it, through fieecY clouds, peering
down apparently at the lonely wayfarer,
between the bare, black hedge-roWs OF
the deep old English lanes, and flooding
sill the long white fields and quaint little
paddoCks with silver.
He discovered an empty cattle-sbed in
the sheltered corner of q paddock and
crept therein for warmth and TO escape
the biting wind. which had now become
keen and frosty, to add to his misery and
enhance the conviction that all the To-
nance of which he once had fancied him
self the hero had evsporated.
no brilliant or rscy adventure had
come to Dick, which, after al he hAI
read of the wild peril and daring faced by
youthful heroes, was rather disgusting TO
boy OF pluck and spirit; and his teeth
chartered as he sunk among quantity Of
dry straw in corner and, being well
nigh worn out, dropped into an uneasy
slRmber.
When he ewoke the sun was shining
brightly in blue and unclouded sky and
frosty rime covered sll the landscape.
There had been slight fall of snow in
the night and amid it the little footprints
of the robin and the de- per Indictments
of the long-eared hare were visible to the
practised eye Of Dick as he came forth,
shiSering and reluctantly, without wrap
per or oEeTcost, and betook him again TO
the highwey thet was to lead him he
knew not where.
To cultivate little warmth, he at
tempted 10 run; but his steps were stag
gering and uncertain now. Anon he
passed 8 little pond by the wsyside. 1t
WAS overshadewed by some pollard viii
iows-those hideous features in the Dutch
ano English landscape-but upon it was
a group of children belonging to sn sdjs-
cent farm, sliding to and fro, happy, Joy
Gus, full Of frolic and life, with noise,
laughter and spp erred cheeks; and pau5
ing for minute or two, Dick watched
them wistfully, enviously.
Suddenly there was mingled yell of
rerror-the ice, which was slight and
thin, cracked from end to end. A little
girl fell in, and the rest fed with cries OF
terror and dismsy, leaving her to her fate.
Amid the broken ice, the child rose and
sank sgain while the shrieks of q woman
were heard:
"0h, my child-my poor cbild-she is
under the ice now, and II cannot
swimi''
"But cam" cried Dick; "and I'll save
her tool"
Without the hesitation of moment he
went headlong into the CT asm-for the
pond was deep-and the woman contin-
ued TO shrek and shudder and wiring her
hands, as she saw Dick. struggling amid
the broken ice and whirling water, grasp,
once, twice and thrice, dark object b =
low the surface, and then rise with his
face cut by sharp fragment; but after
third ate mpt be got the little girl to
land and placed her, voiceless and all but
seDselese with cold and terror, in the
arms Of her mother, who, in the mental
egoIs OF the moment, forgot to give the
pIeser7er word of thanks, but rolled her
apron round the dripping, rescued child
and bore her of towards the house.
DreAohed, the icy water pouring from
his Clothes, more cold and more miser-
able thar ever, chilled to the very mar
row of his bones, the unfortunate Dick
Talbot looked wistfully, helplessly ana
Aopelesslg after her.
He was about to follow, and In the
humility that was born of loneliness &nd
misery to seek Cor food and warmth st
the rudy FIRE, the steady radiance OF
which he saw streaming from mullioned.,
WINDOW on the frosty atmosphere and the
q a <af xr1sr Al III